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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
April 2 , 2008
FEDERAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST FATHER ACCUSED OF FAILING TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT
WICHITA, KAN. – Christopher L. Mason, 29, Modesto, Calif., is charged with four counts of failing to pay child support. According to the indictment, while he was living outside Kansas he failed to pay child support for his children who were living in Sedgwick, Shawnee, Reno and Sumner counties in Kansas. The indictment covers the period from June 24, 1998, to Feb. 16, 2008.
The Child Support Recovery Act makes it a federal crime under certain circumstances to willfully fail to pay child support for a child living in another state. More information is available in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s “Handbook of Child Support Enforcement.” It is available on the Internet at www.acf.hhs.gov.
If convicted, Mason faces a maximum penalty of 2 years in federal prison on each count and a fine up to $250,000, as well as mandatory restitution of the unpaid child support. The Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
A grand jury meeting Tuesday in Wichita also returned the following indictments:
Carol A. Holt, 53, Summerfield, Kan., is charged with one count of theft of public funds, and one count of making false statements to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from January 1999 through May 2007 in Marshall County, Kan.
According to the indictment, Holt was married to a member of the United States Air Force who died from a service connected illness. After her husband’s death, she filed for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, to which she was entitled. In December 1998 she remarried, which disqualified her from receiving benefits. She did not report the marriage the VA and signed paperwork indicating that she had not remarried. As a result, she received approximately $82,256 in benefits to which she was not entitled.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the theft charge, and a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of making false statements to the VA. The Veterans Administration-Office of Inspector investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
Luse Maria Leon, 42, Tuscon, Ariz., is charged with possession with intent to distribute 55 kilograms (approximately 121 pounds) of marijuana. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 21, 2007, in Saline County, Kan.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.
Daniel Nieves, 24, Moline, Ill., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute three kilograms (approximately 6.6 pounds) of cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 10, 2008, in Ellis County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.
Valgene G. Hill, 30, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 25, 2008, in Sedgwick County.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than life in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the crack cocaine charge, and a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on the firearms charge. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.
Kelly Tunnel, 42, Goddard, is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction and two counts of making false statements in order to deceive a licensed firearm dealer. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 3, 2008, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, Tunnel faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.
Juan Antonio Ortiz-Ortega, 31, Kansas City, Mo., is charged with one count of knowingly transporting illegal aliens in the United States. According to the indictment, on March 22, 2008, he transported seven undocumented Mexican nationals and four undocumented Guatemalan nationals in a Dodge Caravan with an Arizona tag. The crime is alleged to have occurred in Wyandotte Count, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Hare is prosecuting.
Eduardo Garcua-Gutierrez, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found March 15, 2008, in Sherman County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Oscar Bustillos-Vasquez, 34, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found March 15, 2008, in Garden City, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Jose Lopez-Ronquillo, 54, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found Jan. 2, 2008, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Israel Vasquez-Aguilar, 31, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of a felony and deported. He was found March 4, 2008, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Enrique Gonzalez-Lopez, 24, a citizen of Guatemala, is charged with one count of knowingly transporting illegal aliens in the United States, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawful re-entry into the United States after being deported. The transportation crime is alleged to have occurred March 14, 2008, in Barton County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the transportation charge, a mandatory 2 years consecutive to other sentences on each of the aggravated identity theft counts, and a maximum penalty of 2 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful re-entry. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Juan Carlos Rosas-Munoz, 25, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of knowingly transporting illegal aliens in the United States, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawful re-entry into the United States after being deported. The transportation crime is alleged to have occurred March 20, 2008, in Barton County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the transportation charge, a mandatory 2 years consecutive to other sentences on each of the aggravated identity theft counts, and a maximum penalty of 2 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful re-entry. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Juana Banuelos-Villarreal, 37, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession of false documents to be employed in the United States, one count of misusing a Social Security number to deceive Cargill Meat Solutions, Inc., one count of making a false statement on an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and three counts of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2004 and 2005 in Ford County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Possession of false documents: A maximum penalty of 10 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Misusing a Social Security number: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Making a false statement on an I-9 form: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory 2 years in federal prison to run consecutively to other sentences.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Juan Manuel Loredo, 45, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of false documents to be employed in the United States, one count of misusing a Social Security number to deceive Cargill Meat Solutions, Inc., one count of making a false statement on an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form, and three counts of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred April 20, 2005, in Ford County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Possession of false documents: A maximum penalty of 10 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Misusing a Social Security number: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parol and a fine up to $250,000.
– Making a false statement on an I-9 form: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory 2 years in federal prison to run consecutively to other sentences.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Cragg Hamor, 28, Springfield, Mo., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 28, 2008.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.
As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
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